An employee handbook that fits on 10 pages
You need a handbook. You don't need a 60-page corporate document.
Cover the basics, in plain language
Hours, pay, PTO, conduct, safety, how to raise a concern. That's the minimum, and it can fit on 10 pages with white space.
Update it once a year
Calendar it. Out-of-date handbooks are worse than no handbook. Annual review keeps it useful and limits liability.
Have everyone sign it, every year
Sign-off on the handbook annually. It's a five-minute meeting that protects you if you ever have to enforce a policy.
Take your version of this question further
This is one operator-tested angle on the question. Your shop, your size, your trade, and your team change the answer. Ask your specific version inside Ask a Shop Owner to get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.